A Titanic Account of a Third Class Male Survivor

Two articles of accounts from Mr. Victor Sunderland

Photo from The Toronto Star dated April 13, 1956 via Newspapers.com

The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

April 26, 1912

“Sticks to Titanic Till Last Minute: Young Englishman Reaches Cleveland and Relates Story of Disaster, Saw Man Shot Dead and Mrs. Straus Refuse to Desert Husband”

United with other men on raft, mostly Catholics in appealing to heaven-floated waist deep in water with Col. Gracie, Officer Lightoller, Operator Bridge and others awaiting rescue, tells of Captain giving away lifebelt. 

“Afloat six hours on an overturned lifeboat with twenty-nine others, the last man to leave the boat deck of the doomed Titanic after she crashed into the iceberg that sent her to the bottom, Victor Sunderland of London, England, reached Cleveland last night. 

“Sunderland, 20 years old, saw Mr. and Mrs. Isidor Straus go to their death together: saw the first officer of the Titanic shoot dead a man who refused to give up his place in a lifeboat to a woman; leaped to the icy water with Second Officer Lightoller and found a place on the overturned lifeboat that proved a harbor of refuge for Col. Archibald Gracie. 

“He joined in the prayer offered up by the thirty on the fragile craft and a few minutes later was aiding in the work of pushing back those who sought to climb aboard when the boat was already overcrowded. He was one of the very few third class passengers to survive. 

“The young Englishman is a nephew of J. P. Foley, 8917 Superior-av. N. E., where he is to make a future home. Although he landed with the Carpathia a week ago last night, no direct word was received from him. A score of telegrams purporting to be from him, were proved on this own statement last night to have been sent by officials of St. Vincent’s hospital New York, where he remained from the time he landed until last Saturday afternoon. 

Confirms Gracie’s Story

“A telegram from the White Star Line Tuesday morning led his relatives here to Euclid-ave station of the Pennsylvania road Wednesday, but a later telegram from the same source stated that he would not leave until Thursday. Without previous word Sunderland appeared at his uncle’s home last evening. 

“Sunderland’s story of his escape from the sinking ship and his experience in the icy water before being picked up by the Carpathia tallies exactly with what others have told. Although he knew the names of none of his companions on the overturned boat except Second Officer Lightoller with whom he jumped, the incidents he set forth last night correspond with the story told by Col. Gracie. 

“‘I lay in my bunk in Section G, third deck from main deck, at 10 o’clock that Sunday night,’ said Sunderland last night. ‘Three of us were smoking. I had on my trousers. My coat and vest were hanging on a rack. A little before midnight we felt a slight jar and heard a noise similar to that a basket of coals would make if dropped on an iron plate. Seven of us ran up from the companionway to the main deck, where a steward told us to go back. We saw a number of pieces of ice on the deck, but he said there was nothing wrong, so we went back. 

“‘We laid down in our bunks again and smoked for about a quarter of an hour. Suddenly one of us noticed water pouring into the section under the door. This time we knew something was wrong and three of us again ran up, but only to the first deck. The others were asleep, and I suppose they were drowned. 

“‘On the first deck the stewards were yelling, “All hands on deck” and we climbed to the main deck. 

“‘An officer stopped us there and told us to go back and get life preservers. These preservers were located in racks over the bunks. When we got back we found the section full of water–twenty feet of it–and we had no chance to get our lifebelts. We ran aft between decks and up to the main deck.

“‘On the main deck there was a Catholic priest praying and around him was a crowd of men and women. Some were kneeling and some were running around screaming. I looked over the side and saw that the ship had stopped. It was about on an even keel then. At that point we three separated. I went from the main deck to the promenade deck amidships and the other two went aft to the taffrail. They were drowned as were others in my sections. 

“‘Then I went to the boat deck. The boat deck was crowded on the starboard side. The crew was filling the boats with women and children and lowering them away. An old lady and an old man with a white beard stood together. An officer told the women to get into a boat. She put her arm around her husband’s shoulder and said, “Let me have my husband.” When she was told she must go alone, she said, “then I will die with him.” That was the last I saw of them. 

“‘In one boat, partly filled with women, a man sat–I think he was a Russian. An officer told him to get out, but he wouldn’t. The officer fired his revolver in the air once or twice and still the man sat there. The officer then shot him and he dropped back to his seat. He was lifted up and dropped overboard. 

“‘I began to look for a lifebelt and I saw a steward in one boat with three lifebelts strapped about his body. I asked him to give me one, but he refused. I asked an officer where I could get one, but he said he didn’t know. Captain Smith stood near us, and I asked him. “I don’t know where you can get one now,” he said. “I have given mine away.”

“‘He was a brave man. He seemed to be everywhere, always trying to get the women and children off.

“‘The ship had begun to list to port by that time and the boats on the starboard side were nearly all gone. The passengers rushed to the port side, but were crowded back by the crew to keep the boat even. The captain ordered all boats to row away from the ship. The ship began to sink by the head and by then the boat deck was clear of all but Lightoller, two firemen and myself.

“‘The ship had dropped down in the water until the boat deck was awash and the officer, firemen and myself tried to lower away a boat that stood in the blocks on the starboard side. The water was then gushing up through the gangway through which the fireman enter and leave the fire room. Just as we had the boat ready to lower the ship trembled and dropped suddenly. The firemen jumped over the starboard side. “Here she goes,” shouted Lighttoller and jumped over the port side. I followed. 

“‘A lifeboat, bottom side up and evidently one of those which had overturned under its load, floated up to the rail and we grabbed for it. We climbed upon it and drifted over the submerged part of the Titanic. We passed under the forward funnel and just as we were clear it fell. At that minute the Titanic broke in two just aft of amidships and the stern stood straight in the air. “Make for the stern. It looks like she will float,” Lightoller shouted, but just as he spoke the stern plunged down.

“‘The twenty minutes that followed, Sunderland said, were marked by cries and screams for help, then all was quiet. In all, twenty-eight other swimmers climbed aboard the overturned boat and scores of others were thrust back into the water when they tried to climb on. Harold Bride, second wireless operator on the Titanic, was one of those who found a place on the boat. The survivors worked their way from the stern and distributed themselves over the bottom so as to keep afloat and waist deep they stood for six hours.

“‘Someone asked how many Catholics were on board,’ said Sunderland. ‘Nearly all were Catholics and the man who spoke then began to say the Lord’s prayer. Then he said the Hail Mary. We followed. About daylight we sighted the Carpathia and it was about that time Lightoller shouted for the other boats to pick us up. I was the fifth man to leave our boat and I got into one rowed by women, some dressed and others half dressed. There were seventy-two in our boat. 

“‘We found that two of those on the overturned boat were dead when we were picked up and three men in the boat that got us died before we reached the Carpathia. Lightoller kept us from drowning before we were picked up. He made us keep steady. 

“‘When the Carpathia was reached five babies were taken from Sunderland’s boat and lifted to the liner’s deck in ashbags. Women and exhausted men were taken up in bo’sun’s chairs. Cold coffee was all the third class survivors were given for the first two hours on the Carpathia. 

“‘In New York Sunderland was taken to the Salvation army home, fed and clothed and then taken to St. Vincent’s hospital, where he remained until Saturday. From Saturday until Wednesday night he made attempts to obtain from the White Star line information that would lead him to the recovery of money he had lost in the wreck, but without success. His case is now in the hands of New York attorney.’”

The Toronto Star, Toronto, Canada

April 13, 1956

“Toronto Man Survived Titanic Sinking, Says TV Version Inaccurate”

“Victor F. Sunderland of Waverly Rd. hopes to debunk the latest debunker of the legends surrounding the 1912 Titanic disaster. Mr. Sunderland, a survivor, sat at home last night and watched the event re-enacted on his television screen. He did not approve the dramatization of Walter Lord’s book. 

“He claims the book, which Lord maintains took him 30 years to research and write, is full of errors that defy common sense. He has written his own version of what happened on the night of April 14, 1912 

“Mr. Sunderland took greatest exception to the way in which almost all incidents before and during the time the liner was sinking are given an exact time. ‘It can’t be done. It’s impossible,’ he protested. 

“He quoted Lord’s book as giving the time at which every lifeboat was launched. ‘How do they know?’ he asked. ‘Who was timing it, who held the flashlight, who made the notes? Even if someone did, most of the officers drowned.’

Going to Cleveland

“Mr. Sunderland explained he was 18 at the time of the disaster and was crossing from his home in London on his way to Cleveland. He was a third-class passenger on E deck, the lowest passenger deck. 

“He explained that he came from a seafaring family that had warned him to always head for the bridge if a ship gets into trouble. He did, in time to see the captain commit suicide with a gun.

“As the Titanic tilted and began to slide under, the funnels appeared to be failing. I stood there dazed, just waiting for the end. Officer Lightoller jumped off the high left side. I didn’t think of jumping because I couldn’t swim anyway.

“Lightoller yelled “Come out kid, jump.” I jumped into the icy water onto what looked like a piece of canvas. I sank–I could feel the suction made by the sinking ship pulling me down. Suddenly I hit something underneath that was rising to the top. I grabbed it and came to the surface clutching the keel of the overturned lifeboat. 

“‘Lightoller grabbed the boat and we picked up a lot of others but by the time we were picked up by the Carpathia the next day there were only 10,’ he recalled.

Doesn’t Think Band Playing

“He said the lifeboats were about a mile away when the Titanic actually sank from sight so that only those left clinging to the overturned boat could have known what happened at the end. The survivor says he does not believe the band was playing while the ship was sinking. He said no musician would have stayed there with the liner listing, fire belching from the funnels and the noise coming from the deck. 

“He also disputed Lord’s report that the captain of the Californian, the closest vessel to the scene, told his officer to contact the Titanic with the Morse lamp. “The Morse lamp can only be used when it’s a clear night and the ships are close enough to see each other. If the Californian was in sight, they could have seen the flames from the funnels and known something was wrong.’

Mr. Sunderland also scoffs at the claim that at 1:40 a.m., Officer Wilde ordered everyone over to the port side to level the ship. ‘Wouldn’t the most inexperienced officer know you can’t straighten out 45,000 tons that way?’”

Additional reading:

Biography of Victor Francis Sunderland

https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/victor-francis-sunderland.html

Some insight into the accuracy of Sunderland's account

https://www.williammurdoch.net/mystery02_witness_15_sunderland.html